Automatic starting device for mercury-vapor rectifiers.



F. S. CHAPMAN.

AUTOMATIC STARTING DEVICE FOR MERCURY VAPOR RECTIFIERS.

APPLICATION FILED OGT.5, 1907.

969,523, Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

P. S. CHAPMAN. AUTOMATIC STARTING DEVICE FOR MERCURY VAPOR RECTIFIERS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.5, 1907.

969,523. I Patented Sept. 6,1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: I .INVENTOR V ATTORNEY F. S CHAPMAN.

AUTOMATIC STARTING DEVICE FOR MERCURY VAPOR REGTIFIERS APPLICATION FILED 0OT.5.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR ATTORN EY F. S. CHAPMAN.

AUTOMATIC STARTING DEVICE FOR MERCURY VAPOR REGTIFIBRS.

AYPLIOATION FILED 0013.5. 1907.

969,523, v Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY FREDERICK s. CHAPMAN, or rI'rrsBuRG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGT HOUSE ELECTRIC 6t MANUFACTURING COMITEALTY, A CORPORATION OF CPENNSYL} VANIA.

AUTOMATIC-STARTING DEVICE FOR MEBCURY VAPOB RECTIFIERS.

To all whom tt may concern: I 1

Be it know 11 that I, FREDERICK S. CHAP- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Alleghenyand Stateof Pennsylvania, have in: vented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Starting Devices for Mercury- Vapor Rectifiers, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to mercury-vapor rectifiers, and it has 'for its object to provide effective and reliable means for automatically starting the rectifying operation by bodying' modifications of the invention.

In Fig. 1, the positive or alternating current terminals 1 and 2 of a mercury-vapor rectifying device 3, that may be utilized to v charge a storagebattery 4,"are 'cdnnected to the terminals of an anto tranSfOrmer 5 from which the rectifying device 'is supplied. The direct current circuitof the deviceis connected, in thel'usual manner, between negative or direct current terminal 6 thereof-and'the neutral or anintermediate point cuit. I The switch 9 comprises a bell-crank lever I the ma 7 of the auto-transformer 5, the said c rcuit comprising a' manually-operated circuitclosing switch 8, the battery 4, a switch 9, etizing winding 10 of an actuating device. or the switch 9, and a sustaining coil or reactance device 11. If the transformer 5' is designed so that there is considerable leakage in its ma may be omitted rom the direct current cir- 12, one end of which engages,and is adaptto move over, stationary contact terminals 13 and'14,and the, other end of which has a slot-and-p n connection with a magnetizable core 15 for the winding 10. -The core'15 is also surrounded by a magnetizingwinding 16 that is connected between stationary contact terminal 13 of the switch 9 and the neutral or intermediate point 7 .0f the auto-transformer. 5, an inductive windin 18 being included in series'therewith.

' pon the exterior of the rectifying device s'peciiicati'on of Letters Patent. Application filed October 5, 1907. Serial No. 396,041.

etic circuit, the device 11'- Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

and adjacent to the pool of mercury 19 that surrounds the negative terminal of the de vice, is a 'conducting band 20 that serves as one plate of a condenser, of which the inner surface of the glass serves as the other plate, the said band beinglconnected to, the positive terminal of the battery 1.

Connected in shunt to "the conducting band 20 and negative terminal 6 of the rectifyingdevice is a resistance 22 and a switch device 23 that comprises a rotatable tubular receptacle 2 1 containing mercury 25, into which project terminals '26 and 27 of the device, the receptacle 24 being divided by means of a partition 28 into' two basins, and

the mercury being-of such a depththat the two pools are electrically connected by a small 'neck-of mercury over the top of the partition,- when the receptacle occupies its normalposition, as indicated in the drawing. When the receptacle 2 1 is rotated,

however, the two pools of mercury are entirely separated and disconnected byv .the partition 28.

The receptacle 24: is clamped in a handi29 one end of which projects over the upper end of'the magnet core 15 in such a manner. that, when the said core is raised a slight amount, the band and 'thetreceptacle will be rotated thereby. The arrangement is also such that the receptacle 24 will be rotated to break. the electrical connection between the pools of mercury therein before the bellcrankglever 12 is moved out of engagement with contact terminal 13 and into'engagement with contact'terminal 14,.the slot-andby way of devices 22, 23, 11, 10, 12, 13, 18, 16 'and 8 t0 the negative terminal of the battery 4. The magnet windings 10 and 16, be-

ing. thus energized, raise the magnet core 15 to ause rotation ofthe switch de'vice23 iii-sue a manner as to quickly interrupt the electrical connection between the pools of mercury in the receptacle 2 1. The energy stored in the inductive windings 11 and 18 is thereupon discharged through the circuit comprising: the conducting band 20 and the negative terminal of the rectifying device, the said discharge causing sparks within the lever 12 of the switch 9 out of engagement rectifying device which" overcome the initial high resistance thereof. Therectifying op eration will thereupon begin, and direct current will momentarily traverse a circuit fromthe negative terminal 6 of the rectifier,

through devices 11, .10, 12, 13, 18 and 16 to the neutral or intermediate point 7 of the auto-transformer 5. The increased amount of current, which now traverses themagnet windings 10 and 16 causes the magnet core to be so raised as to move the bell-crank witht-he terminal '13 and into e1 gagement .with the terminal 14, contact being made with the latter terminal before it is broken with the former, A circuit is thereupon es tablished from the negative terminal of the.

rectifying. device, through the sustaining coil 11, magnet winding 10, bell-crank lever 12, terminal 14, battery 4 and the switch 8 to the neutral or intermediate point 7 of the auto transformer winding 5, the current traversing the coil 10 being sufficient to maintain the magnet core 15 in its raised position and the bell-crank lever 13 1n engagement with the terminal 14. The rect1 fying operation will then continue so long as the switch 8 remains closed, and the 4 will be charged. J In Fig. 1, the current within the rectifying device is derived from the battery 4 that is to be charged,-but-, if desired, it may be derived directly from. the source ofalternating current to which the rectifying device is connected, as illustrated battery in Fig. 3, in which the connecting band 20 and the resistance 22 are connected directly to some point, such as a terminal 21, of the auto-transformer winding 5. When this is done, the rectifier may supply current to any other suitable load than a storage battery, as

indicated at 34. In this arrangement, also, the switch 8 is omitted from the direct current circuit and the operation of the device .is governed entirely by means of a switch 30 located in the alternating current circuit. Upon closing the switch 30, a circuit is first established from the terminal 21 of the autotransformer winding 5, byway of devices 22, 23, 11,10, 13,-1's and 1c tothe intermediate or neutral point 7 of the auto-transformer winding 5. Magnet core 15 is then raised, as before, causing an interruption of the said circuit in the device 23, and a spark discharge within the rectifying device. The rectifying process then begins, the direct current traversing a circuit comprising devices 6, 11, 10, 13, 18 and 16. The bell crank lever 12 is then moved into engagement with 4 of the rectifier, as before.

contact terminal 14, and the load-34 becomes connectedin the direct current circuit An auxiliary source of current for causing spark discharges within the rectifier may also be employed, if desired, as illus-- for causing sparks 'the switch device 23.

trated in Fig. 4, in which a small primary or secondary battery 31 is connected to the conducting band 20 and the resistance 22, and

to one terminal of the magnet winding 16,

the rectifier being connected to any suitable load 32. A smallswitch 33 is employed in the systemto govern the circuit of the battery 31. Then the switch 33 is closed, a circuit is established by way of devices 33, 22, 23, 10, 13, 18 and 16 to the other terminal of the battery. The magnet core 15 isthen raised sufliciently to cause interruption of the said. circuit within the device 23 and'a consequent spark discharge within the rectifying device. The rectifying process then begins, the direct current being supplied to an auxiliary circuit extending between the negativeterminal 6 of \the rectifier and the intermediate point 7 of the auto-trans former winding 5 and including devices 10, 13, 18 and 16. The increased amount-of current which then traverses the magnet wind 'ings 10 and 16 causes movement of the bell crank lever 12 into engagement with'contact terminal 14, thereby establishing a c'ircuit from the negative terminal6 of the rectifier through devices 10, 14 and 32, to f the intermediate point 7 ofthe auto-trans only in the starting circuit for the purpose of causing an inductive discharge and sparking within the'rectifying device and is not included in the auxiliary direct current circuit, and, for that reason, an ohmic resistance 35 is included in the auxiliary direct current circuit. The'magnet winding 16 is. also included only in the starting circuit and, therefore, serves only to. assist in rais ing the core 15 a sutficient amount to cause interruption 1 of the starting circuit within .A manually operated switch 36 is employed to control the operation of the dev1ce, and when it is closed a starting circuit is established, including devices 4, 35, 13,

12, 36, 10, 11, 23, 22, 16. and 18. The magnet windings 10 and 16 are then energized and cause the core 15 to be raised sufliciently to rotate the device 23 and effect interruption of the starting circuit therein. Spark- 1ng then occurs within the rectifier and overcomes the initial high resistance thereof,

I suitable means-whereby the invention may.

" befcarried into eflect,

whereupon direct current is supplied to a circuit-comprising devicesll, 10, 36,12, 13 and 35. Energizing of the winding 10 with an increased amount of current causes the core 15 to be raised still further, which, in turn, effects movement of the bell crank lever 12 out of engagement with the terminal 13 and into engagement with the terminal 14. The direct current circuitthen includes devices 11, 10, 36, 12, 1 1 and 4.

The devices shown are only illustrative of and it will, therefore, be readily understood that other means that differ considerably therefrom in structure and arrangement of if desired, and the arrangement of the circuits may also be considerably modified, without departing from'the spirit of the invention or altering its mode of operation,

and I'desire that all such modifications be included within its scope.

I claim as my invention: 1. Thecombination with a mercury-vapor rectifier, and a load therefor, of a switch for governing the operation of the rectifier, means for overcoming the initial high resistance of the rectifier, aswitch for governing the resistance-overcoming means, an automatically actuated device for operating the said switch, and a switch normally connecting the rectifier-to an auxiliary direct curparts may be employed,

rent circuit but actuated by said device,

switch for said means, of a switch for altering the direct current circuit or" the rectifier, and a device actuated by the current in the said direct current circuit for operating the said switches successively when starting the rectifying operation.

3. The combination with a mercury-vapor rectifier, means for overcoming the initial high resistance thereof, and a governing switch for said means, of a switch for connecting either an auxiliary direct current circuit or a load to the rectifier, and a device for operating the said switches comprising two windings both of which are energized .when the auxiliary circuit is connected to the rectifier'and only one of which is energized when the load is connected to the rectifier to maintain the said connection.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27th day of September, 1907-.

FREDERICK s: CHAPMAN.

' Witnesses:

R. B. INGRAM, BIRNEY HINES. 

